Precious win for lowly Mqabba Marsa-Mqabba 0-2

Marsa: K. Brincat, S. Zampa, R. Gatt De Raffaele, L. Ciantar, Y. Camilleri, S. Camilleri, J. Lovegrove, D. Agius, O. Cristiani, H. Kawamura, A. Watanabe

Mqabba: F. Tabone, N. Micallef, R. Da Silva Gomes, F. Gusman, D. Azzopardi, W. Borg, B. Grech, D. Micallef, A. Ferreira, J. Martins Da Silva, G. Micallef

Referee: Glen Tonna

Scorer: Aleksandro Dos Santos Ferreira 2’, 15’

Mqabba finally found the the back of the net of their opponents after six consecutive matches, to end this barren spell and also gain a precious victory against bottom of the table side Marsa.

Coach Alfred Attard finally managed the first point for Mqabba, who surely were not prepared to fight against relegation at the start of the season. Aleksandro Dos Santos Ferreira scored a brace in the opening fifteen minutes to give his side three valuable points.

For Marsa this was the eighth successive defeatand although they are showing some signs of improvement, their chances of avoiding the big drop are slim indeed, parctically none.

"Emiliano will always be among the legends who have written the great history of Nantes," the French club said Friday. "We have lost a friend, a talented player, an exemplary teammate."

The fans there greatly appreciated what Sala did for their team.

After scoring that last goal, his 12th of the season, Sala sprinted toward the cheering Nantes fans that formed a mass of yellow shirts and scarves behind the goal. He leaped over the advertising hoardings with ease and stood with his chest proudly puffed out as the fans surged forward with open arms.

A few fans even rushed from the stands to hug him, and the man wearing the No. 9 shirt received them warmly.

In honor of Sala, Nantes will retire the No. 9 jersey, and a minute's applause for him will be held at stadiums in France this weekend. Nantes will next play Nimes at home on Sunday.

Tall, strong, and good at heading, Sala had the attributes to succeed in the physically demanding Premier League.